Jenn Ryan is a former ER nurse who now runs her own online health and nutrition company. When she is not helping others find ways to improve their help her dogs are taking her to the beach and making sure she is taking her walks to unwind and clear her mind.
Q: How did you become a dog mom? A: My first dog was a little 1lb pomeranian/terrier mix and she fit into the palm of my hand! I absolutely adored her. She was attached to me and it just filled me up to have something love me so much!
Q: How did your dogs come into your life?
A: Paris came into my life when I was in my early 20’s. Two of my friends were roommates and their dogs mated and had puppies, so I was the lucky recipient of her. Jordan, my 6.5-year-old Yorkie mix was given to me by the vet who performed her leg amputation. She was 3 months old and her previous owner left her at the vet and she needed a good home. Piper, my 1.5-year-old Pomeranian, was from a family here in San Diego. I got her shortly after I had to put Paris to rest when she was 18.5 years old because I wanted Jordan to have a companion.
Q: What have your dogs taught you about life? A: Jordan has taught me about resilience no matter what we’re given in life. Even though she’s had to manage losing one of her front legs, she’s never let it stop her from doing anything. They’ve all 3 taught me that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog!
“What you pet is the behavior you’ll get”
Jenn ryans best pet advice
Q: Tell me about your passions. A: Helping people achieve better health and body composition! I run and own an online health and nutrition coaching business after leaving my long-time career in the hospital working as a bedside nurse in the ER. I’ve always been interested in nutrition and training, so when I started coaching people in CrossFit, it led to continuing my education in health and nutrition. Now, I get to help people find alternative ways to improve their health and I think that’s what I was meant to do.
Q: How do you juggle training and being a pet mom? A: I definitely plan the length of time I’m away from home training around how long I want to leave the dogs! Sometimes I’ll take Piper for a warm-up run to make sure she’s getting plenty of exercise. Even if I’m very tired from training, I make sure to take them on a few walks which actually helps me relax and wind down.
Q: What does a day in your life look like for you? A: 4-5 days a week, my schedule looks like this: Get woken up by the dogs around 6:30/7am and take them out for a short walk, then we come back inside and they get breakfast while I’m making my morning coffee and breakfast. I try to get a little work done prior to heading to the gym.
Head to the gym a short time later and train from 9-10:30am. Then I come home and walk the dogs while lunch is heating up. I get some work done for 1.5-2 hours and then head back to the gym from 1:30-3:30pm.
Once I get home, I either take the dogs for a walk or we go to the dog park.
Then I settle in for a few more hours of work while the pups are chewing on one of their favorite bones or wrestling with each other.
We typically go outside for a few more short walks until going to bed between 9:30-10:30pm. There are about 6-7 meals in that day somewhere when I can fit it all in!
2 days a week, I’m home all day and those are the long work days but the girls get outside for lots of mini walks and time at the dog park. They love the days when mom is home working!
Q: Your best tips for first-time dog owners? A: Make sure you have puppy pads and a small crate or bed to provide a quiet place. Give your puppy lots of love and be prepared to get a little less sleep for the first 6 months or so.
Q: What would be your must-have items for you and your dog?
Rawhide-free chew bones
Squeaky toys – the girls LOVE anything that squeaks.
Carrots. My dogs love raw or frozen carrots.
What is your favorite thing to do with your dogs?
Taking them to the dog beaches here in San Diego just makes me so incredibly happy. Jordan LOVES the water, and even with her 3 legs, she is fearless running into the waves and she runs around without a care in the world. I can tell she’s just so happy. Piper is hilarious to watch running away from the waves as she’s trying to figure out what’s happening. They are both beach dogs for sure!